by Michael Dean Thompson
A group of patients confined within the Minnesota Sex Offender Program under the Minnesota Civil Commitment and Treatment Act brought a class action lawsuit against state officials for failing to provide treatment and unconstitutional conditions of confinement. In the process, they agreed with the …
by Michael Dean Thompson
Republican Governor Mike Kehoe of Missouri has signed new legislation (SB 888) that increases the mandatory minimums for prison sentences. The new minimums may fill Missouri prisons as early as July 2029, requiring the construction of a new $825 million maximum security prison. Gov. …
by Michael Dean Thompson
The California Department of Justice (CDOJ) and Los Angeles County seem to be getting nowhere in a five-year-old judgment regarding its juvenile halls. As a result, the CDOJ wants the juvenile halls to be placed under a receivership. Now, the Board of State and …
by Michael Dean Thompson
The Davis Correctional Facility (DCF), a medium security prison in Holdenville, was described by The Oklahoman as little-known. Yet, over the last four years, 20 detainees and a prison guard have suffered violent deaths at the hands of prisoners. That contrasts with the better-known …
by Michael Dean Thompson
A man convicted of two robberies and “ongoing criminal conduct” in Iowa attempted to escape his prison sentence. In the process of the failed escape effort, prisoner Michael Dutcher bludgeoned an infirmary nurse and a guard over the head, killing them both. In addition …
by Michael Dean Thompson
When Delaware County, Pennsylvania, took over the George W. Hill Correctional Facility (GWH) in April 2022, it ended nearly three decades of management by private prison giant The GEO Group, as PLN reported. [See: PLN, Dec. 2022, p.32.]
Democratic candidates for the County …
by Michael Dean Thompson
A South Carolina court stayed the execution of condemned state prisoner John Richard Wood on April 22, 2026. Wood, 59, has been on death row in South Carolina for 24 years following his conviction for the murder of a state trooper during a traffic …
by Michael Dean Thompson
The Tulsa Municipal Jail holds just 70 people. For a jail that size, according to a 2021 Department of Justice study, national data suggests that a person might die every 10 to 15 years. It is possible the Department of Justice undercounted national deaths, …
by Michael Dean Thompson
Prison healthcare profiteer NaphCare is a private company based in Alabama with over $300 million in revenue that is expected to exceed $1 billion within ten years. The company recently announced it is withdrawing operations from more Washington jails. In a statement, NaphCare said, …
by Michael Dean Thompson
Derek Batton, 34, died from an overdose of heroin he ingested in 2018. He was in the custody of the Grant County Jail at the time for DUI and traffic warrants. Batton, who had struggled with addiction, acquired the drugs from Jordan Tebow. Tebow …
